About the Ziji Collective

Vision:

Inspired by the Shambhala vision of Enlightened Society, the Ziji Collective operates from the radical view that human beings and society are fundamentally good. We believe a just and peaceful future is possible and are dedicated to making it a reality.

Mission:

The Ziji Collective gathers, connects, and advocates for inspired young meditators across the globe to promote a society awakened to its nature as resilient, uplifted, wakeful, and kind.

Values:

The Ziji Collective commits to honoring the unconditional worthiness of all beings regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, race, ethnicity, nationality, self-identification, religion, culture, language, ability, weight, incarceration status, mental or physical health, or any other status that is or might be used to systematically strip one’s sense of worthiness.

Because we trust in the universality of basic goodness, we do not believe that there exists an identity status that can diminish the fundamental value of any person, nor do we believe that any such status should impact the level of care and respect with which we treat one another.

It is necessary to state this as an organizational value because we exist within and are influenced by societies in which people and institutions often fail to honor the primordial worthiness of others. As products of these societies and institutions, we tend to replicate their patterns and perpetuate suffering. We seek an approach that is better aligned with our view of Enlightened Society. To this end, we aspire to promote a culture of accountability, in which our members can readily and unabashedly acknowledge and learn from missteps in service of a better future.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ziji specifically for a particular age group?

Yes. Ziji is a worldwide collection of local groups, each made primarily of younger practitioners. Age guidelines vary from group to group, but “30s and under” is a popular phrase.

Ziji’s age targeting is not an attempt to be arbitrarily exclusive. Rather, it is a recognition that younger people tend to face similar issues, life situations, and sources of inspiration, and that these similarities can help create powerful and cohesive groups that bring about real personal and societal transformation.

Is Ziji affiliated with a spiritual tradition?

Yes. Ziji is part of the tradition of Shambhala Buddhism. Ziji traces its roots to the inspiration of the leader of Shambhala, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, that Shambhala include an accessible, innovative, and socially engaged practice community for younger practitioners. In the Sakyong’s words, the young people of Ziji are “the future of Shambhala.”

As part of this affiliation, Ziji’s senior advisers and teachers are also senior teachers in the Shambhala tradition. Most Ziji communities meet in their local Shambhala centers, and Ziji programs usually include Shambhala “forms”: ways of meditating, of creating uplifted physical spaces, and so forth.

Many Ziji pracitioners also study the path of the Shambhala teachings and curriculum, at their own level of interest, and are members and volunteers at their local Shambhala centers.

What are the main principles of Shambhala Buddhism?

The two most important tenets of Shambhala for understanding Ziji’s vision, purpose, and mission are:

1. Basic goodness.

Basic goodness is the radical discovery that our nature, at its core, is fundamentally sane, worthwhile, and workable—good—in a way that transcends conventional notions of “good” and “bad.” Basic goodness is the basis of Shambhala vision at both the personal and societal levels.

2. Enlightened society.

Enlightened society is the social expression of basic goodness. It refers to the fundamental goodness of human interaction and human society, and to the inspiration to create a society that is sane, wakeful, kind, gentle, and just.

Together, these two guiding principles inform Ziji’s spirit of kindness, celebration, and social engagement.

Do I have to be a Buddhist to join Ziji?

No. While many (but not all) of Ziji’s most committed members are also Shambhala practitioners, many people have enjoyed and regularly attended Ziji events without embarking on a broader spiritual tradition.

Participating in Ziji has no spiritual prerequisites of any kind, and Ziji itself is designed to be accessible and beneficial for anyone, from any (or no) tradition.

Why does Ziji exist (instead of simply many local young meditators groups)?

Ziji exists to help these local groups, and the people in them, benefit from the shared knowledge, inspiration, and power of a global community.

Ziji itself is an “umbrella organization” designed to help organize the individual local groups, and help create opportunities for knowledge sharing, dialogue, togetherness, and exchange. For example, Ziji itself (in particular, the Ziji Council) helps organize the annual International Ziji Summit, an in-person meditation retreat that gathers members of local groups from across the globe.

Ziji is also a lab where individual groups and teachers can experiment with new ideas.

Do I have to call my local meditation group a Ziji Collective to participate?

No. Some groups do use the name “Ziji Collective” to refer to their young meditator groups—for example, “Northern California Ziji Collective.” However, other groups are named differently, and your group does not need to carry this name to be involved with Ziji.

The Ziji Collective itself is the sum of many local communities, which are differently named and operate quite differently—although almost all do incorporate sitting meditation as practiced in the Shambhala tradition.

Ziji as a formal entity (for example, the Ziji website or the Ziji Council) exists to support these local groups. This includes the existing Ziji groups, and potentially any interested community of younger people whose mission aligns with Ziji’s spirit of celebrating basic goodness and creating enlightened society. Ziji works to support these groups with the vision of creating a global community that is a powerful source of both personal and societal transformation.